Grand Ayatollah Sayed Ali Husseini Sistani has had some ups and downs lately but he's still the most influential person in Iraq. The latest reminder came today when he signaled–signaling is about as explicit as he gets on these kinds of issues–that he would not oppose the status of forces agreement (SOFA) between Iraq and the United States.

Sistani is, based on his years of scholarship and selection by other clerics, the highest ranking Shiite in Iraq and possibly the world. Though he stays away from daily politics, especially compared to his counterpart clerics in Iran, he changed the course of the American occupation of Iraq by advocating for elections in 2005 and his consistent calls for patience have kept the country's Shiite majority from turning against the United States presence.

But with the rise of violent militias led by radical young cleric Moqtada al-Sadr and his own occasional long periods of public silence, it had seemed the Sistani's clout among the Shiite faithful had crested. A few months ago, rumors circulated that the reclusive cleric, who's about 78 years old, was in a coma. He responded by inviting local reporters to his compound, in the Shiite holy city of Najaf, to show them he was well. He also suffered the indignity last month of having his organization's Website hacked and defaced with anti-Shiite diatribes.

But Iraqi leaders still cannot make a major decision without getting Sistani's nod and implied support. Friday Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki went to Sistani's compound and talked to the cleric for about two and half hours about the future of the U.S. presence in Iraq. U.S. officials planned for a deal by July 31 but the haggling continues. Most of the terms are already on paper pending final points of contention, especially concerning who will prosecute U.S. soldiers accused of crimes and they seem to be good enough for the Ayatollah. Maliki told reporters after the meeting that Sistani had agreed to back whatever his government and the parliament adopt. The Shiite Prime Minister also noted that the current proposal sets a December, 2011 deadline for a troop withdrawal, something Sistani is believed to seek.

Today Sistani's office confirmed his stance in the usual way – authorizing an aide to issue a statement to reporters. It gave the Iraqi leadership the green light. "His Eminence accepts what they accept," said the statement. Typically, in saying little he said a lot.

–With Hassan Al-Jarrah reporting in Najaf.